Out to Launch

Canadians scream, keep secrets and find whales intriguing. The Canadian Tourism Commission launched an 8-week campaign dubbed "Locals Know," encouraging Canadians to discover unknown parts of the country. TV, print, and online elements drive traffic to www.localsknow.ca, where online videos further promote tourism and Canadians can upload pictures of their favorite in-country travel location. A man looks like he's paragliding in one ad, seen here. The entire ad is dedicated to the man's screaming and eye contact with the camera, until "Where is this?" and the "Locals Know" site appears onscreen. More screaming in another ad, as a black SUV pulls up to a red carpet event. See it here. The remaining ads show a surfer getting good waves and a group of kayakers having close encounters with a family of whales. See the ads here and here. Print ads show crystal-clear water, sand dunes and beautifully painted ceilings; each ad poses the question, "where is this?" View them here, here and here. I think an additional tag line for the campaign should be, "what happens in Canada, actually stays in Canada." DDB Canada Vancouver created the campaign.

Sony PlayStation 3 launched "Graphic Novel," a TV spot promoting inFAMOUS. The game tells the story of Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger who survives an explosion that leaves him with electric superpowers. The superb ad follows Cole's journey, post-explosion, as he wrestles criminals and his emotions, bearing the weight of a city on his shoulders while he's isolated from those he loves. Watch Cole's struggle here, to see how he uses his newfound abilities. Deutsch Los Angeles created the ad.

Gatorade is pumping out great creative lately, and its latest campaign does not disappoint. "Pump up the G" launched Friday, featuring athletes in the midst of joy, pain and downright goofiness. It's fantastic and motivational, much like most Nike ads. Whether it's a game of professional baseball, football, basketball or a street game of soccer and skateboarding kids, everyone gives their all. See the ad here. A print ad, seen here, shows a bottle of Gatorade that's almost empty, along with copy deeming the brand "the original hydrator." TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles created the campaign and OMD New York handled the media buy.

This is one heavy message in a bottle. Large bottles containing life-size IKEA products found their way onto the St. Petersburg Pier Memorial Day weekend, promoting the newly opened IKEA Tampa. An encapsulated pink chair asks passersby, "Is your home sending you a message? Get all of the everyday solutions in this bottle at the new IKEA Tampa." See bottles here and here. Deutsch New York sent the message.

Kia Soul is not your average fish, pawn, sheep or robot. The car breaks up the monotony by adding some flavor to an otherwise sterile group of similar objects. The print campaign, seen here, here, here and here, uses the tagline, "A new way to roll." David&Goliath created the ads and Initiative handled the media buy.

The iPod Shuffle is smaller, is controlled by buttons on the earbud cord, and speaks. Apple launched an online ad for the Shuffle this week on sites such as nymag.com, style.com, espn.com, billboard.com, mtv.com, and si.com, showcasing this feature in bubble quotes. A girl rocks out to her Shuffle as album covers from the songs are displayed in quote bubbles. The Shuffle then speaks, informing the listener about the current song playing. See the ad here. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the ad and handled the media buy.

USAA launched a multimillion-dollar print, radio and online campaign touting the company's financial strength, security and stability. Direct response and interactive elements will run nationwide, with heavy rotation in markets with a large population of military personnel. Copy does not beat around the bush. "USAA didn't need a bailout. Which means we've saved you money already. Try USAA Bank," reads one ad. "You may not be able to avoid reckless drivers. But you can avoid reckless insurance companies. Try USAA Insurance." See the ads here, here and here, created by Campbell-Ewald.

Meineke launched four TV spots that highlight how thoroughly cars are serviced and the level of customer involvement in the decision-making process. A technician inspects the underside of a car in the first ad, seen here. He's soon joined by a husband and wife, making for crowded quarters. An older woman gets under her car to chat with a technician, and then has trouble rolling out. Positions are flipped in the next two ads, seen here and here, that show a man whose toupee becomes detached and a college-aged girl suffering from a rush of blood to the head. Wyse created the campaign and Integrated Media Solutions handled the media buy.